In known conductor line systems, a traveling electrical load travels along a conductor line. To supply the load with electrical power, same is equipped with a current collector whose sliding contacts engage in conductor strands guided along the conductor line. The load can be, for example, a transport gear of a suspended railway, a cable trolley movable on rails, or so-called E-RTG container cranes, which are equipped with electric traction supplied with electrical power from the conductor line.
In order to be able to transmit data to the load, for example, control data, so-called slotted waveguides or leaky waveguides, are guided in known conductor line systems parallel to the conductor strands into which antennas arranged on the load engage.
Thus, DE 10 2004 008 571 B4 discloses a support rail profile of a support rail designed as a double-T support with integrated slotted waveguides for data transmission in a conductor rail arrangement. The slotted waveguide is provided in the lower foot part of the support rail with a longitudinal slit pointing downward, into which an antenna of the vehicle traveling along the support rail extends. Power rail holders with power rails mounted therein are arranged laterally on the support rails, i.e., rotated by 90° relative to the longitudinal slot.
DE 10 2011 119 351 A1 discloses a transport system with a rail-borne vehicle and rail profile parts of a rail system in which a slotted waveguide is arranged on a rail profile part and two antennas on the vehicle, which are spaced away from each other in the rail direction and extend into the slotted waveguides, the rail profile part being designed straight. The slotted waveguide is also arranged on a double-T support at a spacing relative to the current-conducting conductor strands.
DE 10 2011 108 584 B1 discloses a data transmission arrangement with a slotted waveguide, which is mounted fixed on a stationary installation part in the longitudinal direction. An antenna of a traveling mobile part extends into the longitudinal slot of the slotted waveguide, which can be moved with it lengthwise in the slotted waveguide.
DE 10 2012 002 085 A1 discloses a slotted waveguide for a rail vehicle movable along a rail with a longitudinal slot running laterally. In order to avoid penetration of dust and water into the longitudinal slot of the slotted waveguide, an offset deflection part is arranged on the otherwise 90° tilted T-shaped cavity so that the longitudinal slot is directed downward vertically after the deflection part. The antenna of the rail vehicle then engages the longitudinal slot vertically from below. The electromagnetic waves are therefore deflected downward by the deflection part from the T-shaped cavity profile to the longitudinal slot.
The technique of slotted waveguides for data transmission on rail-borne vehicles has long been known and follows, for example, from DE 25 55 909 C3, DE 29 18 178 A1, DE 33 23 984 A1, DE 30 12 790 C1, and DE 35 05 469 C2 of Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm GmbH, and therefore need not be explained in detail.
A problem in slotted waveguides guided parallel to current-transmitting conductor lines is the disturbance in data transmission in the slotted waveguide by power transmission to the current-conducting conductor line contacts. Because the conductor line contacts cannot always be guided precisely into the current-conducting conductor strands, short contact losses sometimes occur between the conductor line contacts and the conductor strands such that electrical current flow is not interrupted because of the small distances between the current conductor contacts and the conductor strands but is continued through the air. This can lead to disturbances in data transmission. The slotted waveguides are therefore generally guided at a spacing relative to the current- and voltage-carrying conductor strands and sliding contacts.
However, this requires more space for mounting of the slotted waveguides, as follows, among other things, from DE 10 2004 008 571 B4 and DE 10 2011 119 351 A1.
There is the additional drawback that, especially in conductor lines with conductor strands directed vertically downward and therefore conductor line contacts to be introduced from the bottom up, the movable antenna of the slotted waveguide also engages the usually downward-opened T-shaped slotted waveguide from below. In order to obtain good data transmission, the slot-like opening of the slotted waveguide must then be as narrow as possible. However, this means that only relatively limited deviation of the antenna from the desired average path is permitted in the lateral direction across the travel direction, since otherwise the antenna touches the slotted waveguide, which must be avoided in each case. To avoid this, in many applications the T-shaped slotted waveguide is tilted by 90° and therefore arranged so as to have a horizontal opening slot, as shown in DE 10 2004 008 571 B4 and DE 10 2011 119 351 A1. However, this means that moisture and dirt can collect more readily on the lower opening slot of the slotted waveguide. In many arrangements it is also not possible for design reasons to make the slotted waveguide accessible from the side.
DE 10 2009 052 871 A1 discloses a device for contactless power and/or data transmission, in which a vehicle is movable on a rail system that is made from rail profile parts consisting of continuously cast parts. A waveguide is positioned along the rail profile parts in the rail direction, which has a slot running in the rail direction and is assembled from slotted waveguide profile parts. The adjacent slotted waveguide profile parts are joined by means of a profile connector part, each of which is partially inserted into each of the two adjacent slotted waveguide profile parts. The profile connector part then lies against the inside wall of the slotted waveguide profile parts and is designed thin-walled so that the cavity surrounded by the slotted waveguide profile parts is only slightly reduced for passage of electromagnetic waves in the rail direction.
DE 10 2010 048 586 A1 discloses a system with a rail-borne vehicle in which at least one waveguide is formed in one piece on the rail part for data transmission by excitation of at least one mode of the waveguide range.
DE 39 02 076 C1 discloses an arrangement for remote-controlled, track-guided image transmission with a video camera, which is fastened to a movable cart, which has at least one support wheel supported on a support rail. The cart is provided with a drive for the support wheel, a control device for the drive, a manipulator for the video camera, a transmitter and receiver for the remote-controlled signals, an antenna, and at least one guide roller. The stationary support structure has at least one guide rail, on which the guide rollers are supported, as well as a slotted waveguide into which the antenna of the cart engages.